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Solo Essentials: Rick Danko

Danko's solo catalog is smaller than Robertson's or Helm's, partly bad timing and partly the direction his career took afterward.

Rick Danko (1977, sometimes listed as 1978). His only proper solo studio album, released on Arista right as The Last Waltz film and soundtrack were dominating attention, which buried it commercially despite a warm critical reception. The one essential entry point if you want just one Danko solo record.

Danko/Fjeld/Andersen (1991) and Ridin' on the Blinds (1994). Two albums recorded with Norwegian musicians Jonas Fjeld and Eric Andersen, a genuine trio rather than a Danko solo project in the usual sense, worth hearing for how differently his voice sits in a stripped-down folk setting.

Rick Danko in Concert (1997) and Live on Breeze Hill (1999). Live recordings from his final years, the second released not long before his death, capturing a voice that had aged but hadn't lost its emotional pull.

Danko's other major body of work, session and touring contributions to Robertson's, Hudson's, and other artists' records, is scattered enough that there's no single collection to point to; the solo album and the two live records above are the real starting point.